Faith's pregnancy with Lucas was text book. She had an extreme smell aversion but wasn't necessarily sick and was as comfortable as you can be while pregnant in the hot Texas summer. She chose to deliver with a hospital based midwife practice which she felt offered the best of both models of care. She could birth how she wanted but also get meds if she needed and found it to be ideal.

She carried 4 days post dates when her midwife stripped her membranes. She went into labor that day and arrived at the hospital around midnight. She received an epidural at 7cms that didn't take all of the way but offered some relief. When she was pushing her midwife commented that Lucas had a bald head. They soon realized that he was coming forehead first but she was able to still deliver vaginally. Lucas' face was swollen but he was otherwise healthy and she was able to hold him skin to skin in his first moments of life.

When the time came for her to deliver the placenta she gave a little push before her midwife told her to stop. Her placenta came out but her uterus followed turning inside out. Uterine inversion is very rare, and even more so when the placenta has fully detached. Her providers believe that when Lucas was born his chin tugged her uterus out. Amazingly, they were able to put her uterus back in place without surgery. She began to hemorrhage at one point but when her uterus was replaced it began to contract which along with medication stopped the bleeding.

Recovery was long and painful due to a large amount of internal bruising on top of the typical recovery that comes with a vaginal birth. She was able to take 14 weeks of leave from work but it took nearly 6 months to feel healed. Breastfeeding was a challenge, not at all as easy as people had told her but they were able to establish a good relationship and nurse until Lucas was 26 months. About a year after her son was born, Faith continued to have issues with her bladder control. She called her midwives and tried pelvic floor therapy that proved too expensive to continue. At an Improving Birth rally she ran into her former midwife who referred her to an OB for evaluation. She learned she has a prolapsed bladder that will eventually need surgical repair. Knowing she wanted to have another baby soon, she has decided to wait and hopes to have it repaired after she delivers her daughter.

Faith has been more sick throughout this pregnancy so far which she equates to hormones of carrying a girl. Her bladder issues, however have continued to improve as this pregnancy progresses. She feels great right now and is just trying to take that day by day. She plans to deliver with the same practice in the same hospital where everyone knows her history. Her risks of a second uterine inversion are doubled in this birth but are still very low at .004%. Her providers are confident that she can have a safe delivery and she is prepared to take things as they come.

Faith says that two years out she's found healing through humor. She says she can lament the fact that her body tried to kill her or laugh at the fact that her uterus literally jumped ship. While incredibly rare, what happened to her does happen and talking about it and understanding why it happens is a necessity.

After her birth Faith wanted to share her story and all that she's been through. Everyone knows that having a baby is a huge experience but they don't always acknowledge that it can also bring things you never expected to happen. More than anything, she says, celebrating women is so important.